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We recently found ourselves on an ice racing circuit with an Alpine A110, just one of those every day occurrences with which I'm sure you're all familiar, like taking tea with the Queen or finding a solid chunk of Kit Kat.
Anyway, it seemed like the perfect excuse to explain that most hallowed of driving techniques.
The Scandinavian flick or more prosaically the pendulum turn.
This, as I'm sure you're aware, is a method perfected by Scandinavian rally drivers in the 1960s and 70s.
It helps to turn the car into a tighter corner on a low grip surface.
It is often used to help overcome the inherent understeer in some front-wheel-drive cars in particular.
So the Scandinavian flick has to be one of the coolest things in driving.
And this is the perfect place to Indulge in it really.
It's all about getting the car pointing the wrong into the corner, carrying momentum through it so that you'll then sort of effectively point it straight on the way out to get the max amount of traction and acceleration.
The idea is that you approach a corner such as this right hander on the inside, the right in this case.
Then you steer to the left, away from it, initiating the first weight transfer.
Once loaded up and possibly sliding, you then need to transfer the weight back the other way by steering into the corner, lifting off the throttle, and possibly even braking at the same time.
This sets up an exaggerated weight transfer, which should see the front wheels grip and the rear wheels slide or pendulum back the other way.
Volvo's to plan the new line-up perfectly straight with maximum traction for the exit of the corner.
Although some oversteer is more than likely.
The trickiest part of the whole process is being patient in the middle.
As the car flicks back you generally need to fight the impulse to either catch the slide or get on the throttle too early.
Instead, if you've got it right You'll simply wait and allow the car's momentum to do its thing.
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Get it all right, and it is incredibly satisfying.
And of course, very useful ticket when you find yourself on an ice racing course in the Alps.
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